Image: 'Boy with a pipe', PicassoPricey Painting -'Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe' Vincent Van Gogh shaved his beard off and painted this self-portrait, Portrait de l'artiste sans barbe, for his mother before he killed himself. Not the coolest way of saying "Happy Mothers Day."
In 1998, a buyer paid $71.5 million at an auction in New York City. The auction house had originally estimated this self-portrait at $20 million. Pricey Painting - 'Femme aux Bras Croiss' Pablo Picasso's painting 'Femme aux Bras Croiss' was sold for $65 million on November 8, 2000, at Christie's Rockefeller in New York City. The picture is of a sad looking lady dressed in blue. Why is it that so few expensive paintings are happy?
Pricey Painting -'Portrait of Dr Gachet' 'The Portrait of Doctor Gachet' by Vincent Van Gogh used to hold the title of "most expensive painting" until 2004. A Japanese businessman, Ryoei Saito, paid $82.5 million for Vincent Van Gogh's painting in an auction in New York. Van Gogh once wrote of Doctor Gachet, "First of all, he is sicker than I am, I think, or shall we say just as much." Pricey Painting - 'Au Moulin de la Galette' The same Japanese businessman paid $78.1 million for Au Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir two days after he bought the Van Gogh. Au Moulin de la Galette is a lot happier - it highlights a joyous feast-like event, with men chatting up the ladies and generally having a good time.
Apparently, many of the people in the painting are the painter's friends. Pricey Painting - 'Garcon a la Pipe' Pablo Picasso painted 'Garcon a la Pipe'('Boy with a Pipe') in 1905, when he was just 24 years old. In 2004 it became the most expensive piece of art ever when it sold in New York for $104 million. The painting is of a young Parisian boy, dressed in blue, holding a pipe and wearing a garland of roses. The price paid for any given painting is not necessarily a goo indicator of that painting's beauty, cultural significance, or popularity.
A notable high price may occur simply because two or more wealthy art collectors wanted the same painting and were willing to bid high. Japanese businessman Ryoei Saito purchased both 'Portrait of Dr. Gachet' ( (Dutch postimpressionist painter noted for his use of color (1853-1890)) van Gogh) and Au Moulin de la Galette (Renoir) in 1990. Later, Mr. Saito threatened to have the van Gogh painting (Click link for more info and facts about cremated) cremated with him at his death. Saito, 75 years old at the time, the honorary chairman of Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Co., later stated: "What I really wanted to [express] was my wish to preserve the paintings forever." Saito, his aides explained, was using a figure of speech: threatening to torch the oils was just an expression of intense affection for the (An outstanding achievement) masterpieces. Later, Saito said he would consider giving the paintings to his government or a museum. Saito died in 1996. The fate of the van Gogh painting is still a mystery.
September 2005
